Physical Description: Brian's looks can be understood to be a rich mix of his parents', having inherited his father's straight platinum blonde hair and his mother's pale blue eyes. His skin tone is very fair, no doubt because of his Irish ancestry, and his ears are rather big as well. Brian stands at about four feet and seven inches, a rather short height for somebody his age. He speaks Scouse, which may make it harder to understand him.

Mental Description: Instilled with a keen sense to perform and work hard when he was quite young, Brian is ambitious, driven and hard-working, but also fiercely competitive. He initially wanted to do well at school and exceed as a footballer, but now that he won't be able to play much at Hogwarts, he'll focus on the former. Early confrontations with bullies conditioned Brian to be outspoken and courageous, always more than willing to share his opinion if he feels he's being slighted.

Despite the fact that Brian got into many physical altercation when he was younger, he's not that strong: his relatively small frame and short height make it so that he can't throw a punch that well. As a physically weak lad surrounded by other, stronger boys his age, Brian had to grow a thick hide, both mentally and physically. He learnt not to get provoked too quickly, but if he did have to fight, he made sure he managed to catch and withstand the punches the stronger boys threw at him. His physical stamina and mental grit arguably made him a stronger, independent person, but they also introduced a degree of emotional isolation from his peers and family wherein Brian prefers to solve his problems by himself as oppose to with the aid of friends or family.

Despite the fact that he worked very hard at school, and despite the fact that he got decent grades, Brian's intelligence is average at best. Having grown up in an environment where parental guidance and private tutoring were largely outsources to his older brothers and sisters, Brian didn't grow up with the same access to early educational materials that other kids his age would have. Still, he made up for his perceived lack of intellect by exhibiting a stellar work ethic.

Brian's broad lack of understanding of the magical world makes it so that he's daunted by his time at Hogwarts, which he believes to be a very different world to his own. He may be startled by the wizarding world, but behind that anxiety lies a timid curiosity for the unknown.

Brian Gaffey, a muggle-born wizard himself, dislikes those who believe in blood superiority, especially as many pure-blooded types style themselves after the aristocrats of the muggle world, whom he believes would look down on his working-class, Irish background as well.

Biography:

Brian Gaffey was born as the fifth child to Connor Gaffey and Mary Gaffey née O'Kiefe in the largely working-class area of Scotland Road, Vauxhall, Liverpool. His father used to be a dockworker by trade, until he was laid off from his job following the 2008 recession. This was a large hit to Connor's self-esteem, as the Gaffeys have worked at the port of Liverpool ever since they emigrated to Liverpool from county Kildare, Ireland, in the late 1840s. His mother works as a cashier at a local supermarket, having worked in retail ever since she was sixteen years old. He was largely brought up by his older siblings, particularly his oldest brother and sister, a pair of twins called Jacqueline (also lovingly called Jacky) and Sean. Jacqueline cared for him when his mother was off at work, whereas Sean introduced him to football, a sport Brian would obsess over in his younger years, playing in the streets several times a week. Brian was allowed to join his local football club at age four, and never missed a training after, growing up to be a keen and hard-working athlete.

He started attending Trinity, a local Catholic primary school, less than a year later. During his time at primary school, a young Brian first experienced social inequality when he was bullied for getting his older brother's old school stuff, as his family couldn't afford to buy new supplies. When his classmates found out that his father's employment wasn't very steady, he was mocked rigorously. He got into fights early-on, but was dissuaded from fighting his classmates by a handful of influential teachers that motivated him to work hard and concentrate on his school work. Still, Brian knew how to stand up for himself, and wouldn't shy away from a confrontation.

His childhood was marked by his father's inability to cope, and Brian quickly determined that he wanted a better life than his dad's. Motivating himself to work hard, he toiled tirelessly at school as well as on the pitch, showing himself to be both a gifted pupil and footballer.

The Gaffeys had a hard time understanding Brian's magical ability, but came to see that an education at Hogwarts would be the only way to ensure that Brian's gift wouldn't be found out. They have very mixed feelings about the magical world at large - and who could blame them? They were forced to send their youngest son off to a boarding school on the other side of Britain. Brian, too, had a difficult relationship with Hogwarts. He felt slighted at the fact that he had to abandon his family without a choice, only seeing them during his time off in the winter and summer. Whereas many other students may feel anxious and happy to attend Hogwarts, Brian feels conflicted, fearing that he'll have quite the culture shock at his new school.

First Instance of Magic: Brian's first instance of magic occured whilst he was having an argument with his father, he got so annoyed that he accidentally tied up his dad's tongue, using wandless magic to do so. His family, bewildered at what had happened, could scarcely put two and two together. Dwayne, however, explained that something had come up during football earlier, and when the Ministry of Magic confirmed Brian's magical ability, the Gaffeys, overwhelmed with shock at the discovery of an entirely different world altogether, hesitantly approved of sending their son off to Hogwarts, knowing that he could endanger himself, them and others if he didn't learn to control his magic.